Oil can



Nov. 5, 1935. s, PAULL l 2,019,579

OIL CAN Filed May 7, 1955 Uma/who@ Patented Nov. 5, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFiE Eagle Manufacturing Company,

Wellsburg,

W. Va., a corporation of West Virginia Application May 7, 1935, 'serial No. 20,231

2 Claims.

This invention is directed to an improvement in fluid dispensing cans involving more particularly a portable can from which uids, such as gasoline or oil, may be readily poured.

Ordinarily, cans of this character are constructed with a filling opening to be closed by a removable cap and a discharge spout projecting from and rigid with the top of the can to permit pouring of the contents of the can at will. Where such cans are used for pouring gasoline or oil into the proper receptacles of an automobile or a motor-boat, the conventional discharge spout is so short that it is ordinarily very dicult, if not in fact impossible, to initially deliver from the can through said discharge spout into the receiving receptacle.

As a result of this objection to the conventional can, it has been proposed to provide a flexible conduit designed when in use to form an elongated flexible extension of the conventional discharge spout of the can, -so that the user may direct the discharge end of the conduit into the receiving opening of the receptacle even before the can is tilted for pouring, and thus insure that the contents of the can will be delivered into the receptacle without leakage or 'spilling and thus overcome a well recognized disadvantage of the conventional can.

The use of a flexible conduit to form a continuation of the usual discharge spout of the can presents, however, an additional problem, namely,

the disposition of the extension discharge conduit- When not actually in use. It has long been recognized that the exible discharge conduit, if made a permanent part of the conventional discharge spout, presents a very undesirable obstruction when the can is not actually in use for pouring purposes, and numerous attempts have been made to arrange the flexible conduit entirely out of the way as an obstruction when not actually required for use. A In some of these, the exible spout or conduit has been removably attached to the closing cap of the conventional discharge spout, so that when the flexible conduit is desired for use the cap of the discharge spout is removed, the flexible conduit withdrawn from the body of the can with the cap, separated from the cap, and applied to the discharge spout for pouring purposes. This type, while serving the purpose of getting rid of the flexible conduit as an obstruction when not desired for use, nevertheless presents another objection in that the flexible conduit is, when not in use, housed in the body of the can and within the fluid therein, so

that when the flexible conduit is withdrawn to be applied foruse, there is a continual drip from the conduit onto the can and onto the surrounding surfaces which is highly objectionable.

Another proposed construction for the same 5, result is to secure the flexible conduit at one kend to the discharge spout between the can top and cap of such spout, and lay the free portion of the flexible conduit about the edge of the top with temporary securing means for holding the flexible 10 conduit out ofy the way when not required for use. This type presents the objection, first, of the increased cost in securing the conduit to the discharge spout, particularly in that such connection must permit relative rotation of the conduit 15 to arrange it properly for delivery; second, that the conduit thus connected to the spout cornpels a lateral delivery from the spoutin order to pour through the conduit Which is an awkward position of the can during the delivery operation; and third, the flexible conduit is at all times open to the contents of the can and thus the delivery end of the conduit must necessarily be carefully closed when not in use, as -otherwise leakage of vapors from the fluid in the can, such for example as gasoline, might prove dangerous.

The ideal construction is where the flexible conduit is constructed as a. wholly separate and independent member formed at one end for threaded connection with the discharge spout of the can when the cap is removed, so that the flexible conduit forms a direct line continuation of the discharge spout while, of course, flexible beyond the spout, together with means whereby this wholly independent flexible conduit may be se- 35 cured to the can in an out of the way, non`ob structive position and yet freely and readily accessible for displacement from its inoperative position when required for use.

The primary object of the present invention, 40 therefore, is the provision of a flexible conduit Awholly and completely separate from and independent of the discharge spout of the can, with one end of such conduit formed for convenient threaded connection with the discharge spout, and means carried by the top of the can to temporarily secure the flexible conduit adjacent the peripheral edge of the can top overlying the vertical wall of the can entirely out of the way of interference with any usual handling, filling or other can operation.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the can of the yIl present invention, showing the flexible conduit in the inoperative position.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the top of the can, the flexible conduit being removed.

Figure 3 is a broken transverse section through a portion of the can top and side Wall, showing more particularly the receiving channel for the flexible conduit.

Figure 4 is an elevation of the can showing the fiexible conduit connected to the discharge spout for delivery purposes.

The present invention is concerned particularly with the iiexible conduit and with the means for securing it with relation to the can when not required. for pouring purposes. The can proper is of conventional construction, but for the purpose of a better understanding of the invention, may be described as including an integral can body I, the top 2 of which is provided with a central or otherwise disposed lling opening 3 designed to be closed by a sealing cap 4. A discharge spout 5 integral with the top projects at an angle therefrom adjacent the side Wall, the free end of the spout being threaded at B to re` ceive a closing cap l. In the manufacture of an integral can of this type, there is necessitated by the process of manufacture a decided depression or channel 8 immediately adjacent the juncture of the side wall and domed cap in order to pro- Vvide the requisite reinforcing of the upper edge of the side wall of the can to avoid distortion in use.

The exible conduit is, so far as the present invention is concerned, of any conventional or desired type, preferably involving a conventional convolute Wrapping of metal in order to prevent wear or leakage or collapse, while at the same time providing complete flexibility for bending or turning in any desired or necessary direction. This flexible conduit may, therefore, for the purpose of this invention be of any conventional or desired construction so long as it permits requisite iiexibility in use and substantial rigidity against collapse. This conduit, shown at 9, is provided .at one end with a threaded terminal I0 designed to readily interfit with the threads 6 of the discharge spout after removal of the closing cap 1. This terminal I I] is a rigid part of the flexible conduit and may be and preferably is provided with a sealing washer I I to insure a non-leaking connection between the discharge spout 5 and the flexible conduit 9 when the latter is in operative relation to the spout.

When in such operative relation, the conduit extends as an elongated flexible extension of the spout and the free end of the conduit may be turned downwardly laterally, or in any direction, for insertion in the filling opening of the receptacle before the can proper is moved into a position to discharge its contents.

The invention is particularly concerned with a means for holding this flexible conduit in an inoperative position when removed from the discharge spout of the can. The desirable characteristics of such a relation between the flexible conduit and the can are, first, that the flexible conduit must be held in position so that it will not form an obstruction in storing the can or in the conventional handling of the can in moving it from place to place; second, it must be readily visible and conveniently accessible to the user when it is required for pouring purposes; and third, it must be so held with respect to the can as to be incapable of casual separation from the ican under accidental jars or contacts, and yet conveniently and readily removable from the holding means when desired for use. To provide for this result, the can, at the juncture of the domed top and side Wall, is provided with spring clips I2 which curve outwardly beyond the vertical plane of the side Wall and inwardly at the upper end, with a terminal lip I3 by which the clips may be bent outwardly When desired. These clips I2 cooperate With the channel 8 between the domed top and the upper edge of the side wall, so that in effect the clips form the outer boundary of a securing means for the conduit, the inner boundary of such means being formed by the domed top of the can, the lower portion of the conduit resting in the channel 8. Of course, the clips are of spring type and of such length as to partially overlie the upper portion of the conduit when in place therein, so that while the clip acts in conjunction with the edge of the domed top of the can and the channel 8 to secure the conduit 9 against accidental displacement, it is apparent that the conduit may be readily removed from this holding means by an upward pull on the conduit or, if desired, by a temporary lateral displacement of the clips.

When the conduit is in inoperative position, it overlies the extreme upper edge of the side wall and a portion of the domed top, and in this position has the additional function of protecting this edge of the wall and this portion of the domed top against distortion under blows or contacts. This is desirable, though a secondary ,-function of securing the conduit in this particular relation and position.

It is to be particularly noted that the exible conduit is completely independent and wholly separable from the can proper when not in use; that as an independent andseparable element it will, when applied to the discharge spout of the can, form a direct continuation of such spout for pouring purposes, thus permitting the can to be handled naturally in pouring and affording a more direct and convenient discharge of the contents of the can; that when in inoperative position it is secured on the top of the can in full View and convenient to the user and held against casual displacement during ordinary handling of the can, and that when in inoperative position it serves as a protecting medium against distortion or breaking of portions of the can extremely liable to such inuence 1n rough handling.

The invention readily lends itself to another advantage which is of extreme commercial importance. In constructions looking to the general result of the present invention, there has in every instance so far developed, been a change in the conventional construction of the can as such which materially increases manufacturing cost of the can and further, interferes to some extent in those uses of the can where the discharge spout serves as a delivering element and the discharge conduit is not needed. That is to say, there will, of course, be times when the can is used exactly as if the exible conduit was not present. In constructions heretofore provided, this has been diii'lcult if not impossible. With the present construction, where the can is cornpletely and wholly conventional and the flexible conduit an independent and wholly separable element, the can where necessary or desirable may be used as any ordinary can as the flexible conduit does not in any way interfere with such use, and need not be disturbed in the slightest particular during such ordinary use.

Furthermore, there is another important advantage in connection with the present invention, and that is that the novel details are applied to an otherwise wholly conventional can. Thus, the manufacturer, having his dies and machines constructed to turn out the ordinary can, may Without any change in such dies or machines complete the can in the usual Way, and then, having the exible conduit which is in itself conventional, merely Weld or secure the clips l2 in place. This is important from the commercial standpoint as Where changes in dies or machines are necessary, as in forms heretofore proposed, the expense of producing the improved can is increased to a material extent. In the present instance, there is no increase in the cost of production of the conventional can beyond merely securing the clips l2 in place.

What is claimed to be new is:

1. A dispensing can having a domed top and providing a channel between the domed top and the upper edge of the side Wall, a discharge spout leading from and opening through the domed top, a Wholly independent flexible conduit designed to be removably secured to the discharge spout and provide a direct line continuation thereof, and means carried by the top of the can to secure such flexible conduit when not in use in said channel and against the domed top.

2. A dispensing can having a domed top and providing a channel between the domed top and the upper edge of the side Wall, a discharge spout leading from and opening through the domed top, a Wholly independent flexible conduit designed to be removably secured to the discharge spout and provide a direct line continuation thereof, and spring iingers secured to the top of the can to hold the exible conduit when not in use concentric with the Wall of the can, in said channel, and against the domed top.

SAMUEL O. PAU'LL, 

